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Show .2 The Salina Sun Wednesday, Febmary17, l993 :: Update of events at the Central UtahCorrectional Facility, (CUCF) The Central Utah Correctional Facility Citizens Advisory Council met December 7. Among items discussed were the following: Warden Fred Van Dcr Veur reviewed the events of CUCFs Founders Day held November 19th. Kent Larsen was asked to speak on behalf of the area citizens. A number of groups were recognized for their support to the prison including Gunnison Valley Ambulance Association, Sanpete County Sheriffs Office for their paging system; and the Coalition of Concerned Citizens. Two volunteers were also honored, Ed Maxwell for his contribution of an organ to the programming area, and David Holz for his assistance with the art gallery in the lobby. Those attending also heard what the Department of Corrections plan is concerning Phase 2. Holiday Activities. Although the holiday season tends to be a depressing time of year for inmates, appropriate programs and forums for inmates to participate in were being planned. Program Coordinator Celeste Denton gave an overview of what was schedules. Activities began during the Thanksgiving week. She noted that CUCF is allowing religious entities to provide additional holiday worship services during this season. It was noted that there are strict regulations on what and how an inmate can mail items, as they cannot purchase postage stamps. Therefore it was decided that donations of Christmas cards would not be accepted. Special Christmas cards were being designed through art class, and inmates would be given several to send to family and friends. Inmates were also given opportunity to donate funds toward community charities. The Gunnison Jaycccs have requested donations for their project. It was also noted that calendars donated in the past have not met the specifications and requirements of CUCF. Adopt A Highway. The CUCF has adopted a stretch of highway. It is 1.5 miles long and runs directly in front of the Prison from the stop sign to the UDOT sheds. Warden Van Dcr Veur said inmates would be cleaning the highway periodically. A certified officer will be with these crews at all limes. The question was raised about items found along the side of the roads. Warden Van Der Veur noted that although inmates routinely find objects that could pose a threat, inmates are expected to go through various security checks before the facility. Utah Correctional Industries Building. (UCD. Warden Van Dcr Veur noted that in the original plans a UCI was planned when Phase 2 was completed. Phase I was designed as a maximum security housing facility, employment opportunities woe The not thoroughly developed. Warden explained that our current inmate profile is such that these employment opportunities are vital. As a result, we now have a larger percentage of inmates who meet the qualifications for added programming opportunities. Since over 50 of this population is in this category, some type of industry opportunity is critical at this time. The UCI Advisory Board also agreed that some sort of industry opportunity needs to be explored. They gave approval to spend up to $50,000 to build a structure to accomplish this task. ta What an interesting and rewarding time it is to represent you in the Legislature. There are many extremely important issues that never get any press or notice. Sometimes I think they are the most important and have great impact on all of us. Our wildlife bills are getting a lot of publicity and interest and some good things are coming from these efforts. I got a chance to talk to the governor about some of our concerns and he was supportive of them. Mineral Lease revenue has always been of special interest to me, because it means so much to our areas economy. The Federal Government gives half the money they receive from mineral production on federal lands to the states. Utah receives about $58.8 million a year. Our district is by far the largest contributor. The Federal Government charges us $2.5 million in fees just for handling the fund. This is unfair, unnecessary, and is contrary to the mineral leasing acL Ive asked Two options are being discussed a data entry operation, or a sewing industry. Vocational programming would be developed to correlate with either program. The first building should be operational by the end of June 1993. Phase 1 Master Plan includes a UCI building of about 50,000 square feet. Employee Enhancement Coun- il. This council meets once a month and is primarily responsible for employee of the week selections, supervising the fitness facilities, and providing a liaison between adm and line staff. The EEC is a forum to discuss what is going well, what is not going well, and to provide an avenue for open communi- - cation. Internal Audits. Warden Van Dcr Veur noted that some internal auditing has begun. To date one audit (key control) has been completed, and a second audit (Volunteers) was set for December. This internal audit assists CUCF administrators in determining if established policies are being followed. The Department is required law to audit all functions at least by once every three years. Celeste stated that on Monday night, December 14, auditors will be interviewing volunteers. Facility Briefings were given officers including: various by Enforcement Lt Mike Mitchell reported that K-- 9 Officer Kelvin Williams recently returned from Germany where he participate in an international competition. He was chosen for this role after competing in local and regional competitions. He reported the competition was very intense and that he learned a great deal about detection and intervention. Currently, the K-- 9 officers are training two bloodhounds which were recently purchased to be used in tracking. Education. BobMacGilivray, Education Administrator, noted that there are now 294 inmates registered in Fall Quarter, 100 inmates involved in college studies. The culinary arts program will begin soon. A full time instructor will be hired by Sevier Valley Vocational Center for this program. Thirty six inmates recently went through a flagger training course. MacGillivray explained that a Victim Impact curriculum is being developed. This will involve victims and victim advocates and will be designed to help inmates understand how they have affected peoples lives. Van Dcr Veur emphasized that this is a very important part of the current Horizons curriculum. It is 40-ho- ur hoped that in the future this may be a mandatory experience for all inmates. Housing. Total count is 525. Twelve inmates assigned to CUCF are now at other locations, due to medical reasons, court, etc. Deputy Warden Jensen said that as of November 19, CUCF became a smoke free institution. Tobacco is still sold through the commissary and inmates will be allowed to smoke outdoors. This applies to staff as well. Neal Bosshardt asked about the attitude. Mike repled that DIO has taken an assertive approach. Staff and inmates have been told that this is coming through various memos, postings, etc. The overall attitude is fairly positive. What type of penalties are imposed or incentives for for strong action by the Legislature and Governor to rectify this inequity. Wednesday we had a special experience in the House of Representatives, we honored a teacher from each district as Teacher of the Year. Jerold Tolman, a teacher at South Sevier High, was the choice for our area. I was thrilled to getacquainted with him and have him here with me g to be honored. He is truly an person. There are so many great teachers in our area that it is a great honor to be named Teacher of the Year, particularly from this dis- trict. Mrs. Robyn Hendrickson, a teacher from Gunnison Valley Elementary was nominated from South Sanpete School District, and Neal Peacock, a teacher from Emery High was nominated from Emery School District All these teachers are leaders in their field, and they all deserve the honors they received. If anyone has any questions or input please call me at 538-121- 7. compliance? Currently this is being addressed as a health issue rather than a security issue. Inmates who choose not to comply with the law will be verbally reminded, reprimanded followed by disciplinary efforts if non compliance persists. The drug interdiction testing seems to be going well. Mike noted that this time of year sometimes produces an increased amount of homemade brew. Officers will strive to be aware of this and extremely thorough when conducting searches. Four new officers graduated and reported for work December 12th. Programming. Program Coordinator Celeste Denton provided council members with a summary of programming activities. The ABLE (Adult Basic Literacy Exam) has almost been completed. We now have a VISTA volunteer who began in August. A LSCA grant was recently obtained. This was used to purchase some literacy equipment. Medical. Sara reported that the CUCF nurse in charge of education has just completed a CPR course for inmates. The Medical Unit continues to see between 120 and 126 inmates monthly on sick call requests. We are trying to take care of more of our problems rather than sending inmates to the UMC. This assists overall with the budget picture, as it is rather expensive to transport an inmates to the UMC. Van Dcr Veur said the challenge of Correctional Medical Services is to deal with legitimate needs for those who need it. Inmates are not allowed to have elective surgeries, only those clinically determ ined on-si- te Nyals Andreason, Salina Recently Salina City was given necessary. Support Services. Earle reported that due to our strong community partnership in this area, when the freezers went out in the warehouse we wereable to move much of the frozen goods to Orton and Moroni Feed and utilize their freezer space. The coal boiler was started in November. This involves a large amount of staff as it is a operation. The grounds supervisor is putting together some options for additional landscaping endeavors. This will go before the Warden and the council in the future. Council Member Kent Larsen expressed his support for whatever it 24-ho- takes to get Phase 2 to continue. He said he was disappointed that it was put on the back burner. Joe Bernini said, What I learn here is going to help in the process of building a new jail facility in Juab. This will be a d facility." Neal Bosshardt asked about the large area in front of the administration building. Deputy Bureau Chief Hobby said that landscaping plans utilizing drought-toleravegetation are being developed. 40-be- nt valuable equipment and repair parts by Southern Utah Fuel Company, SUFCo. A letter of appreciation has been sent to the management of SUFCo. A member of the Salina City Council requested that the let- ter be published. Following is a copy of our expression of appreciation: On January 19, a report was given to Salina City Council that a donation of a snow plow, sandcr, and repair parts has been received ( from your company. We express our thanks to you and the SUFCo organization for these generous gifts. The unexpected weather conditions has made it necessary for the city to obtain equipment such as this in maintaining the city streets. These recent donations by SUFCo follow a long series of assistance toourcity and itscitizens. Our city receives many benefits by having SUFCo located in this area. Signed: Mayor Nyals Miss Sevier County resigns; new royalty is named Miss Sevier County, Tina Crowe has relinquished her crown following an announcement that she plans to be married in the near fu- county at the Miss Utah Scholarship Pageant in June. Changes were also made in the order of attendants as follows: Heather Edwards, Salina, 1st Attendant; ture. She had won the crown in competition held at North Sevier High School on January 30, 1993. First attendant, Jessica a, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Leukenga, has since been crowned Miss Sevier County, in ceremonies at the Sevier County Courthouse. She will represent the AnnMuir,Richficld,2nd At- tendant; Amy Hiss, Richfield, 3rd Attendant; Kami Sondrup, Monroe, was named 4th Attendant. Leu-keng- Grant Peel complimented CUCF on the TV runs. He said they were good information for the public to be aware of. He said he was in favor of programming opportunities that help inmates try to better themselves. Warden Van Der Veur reminded council members that they are always welcome at the Facility. 9 63 East Main Salina, Utah 84654 - Phone: is published each Wednesday for The Salina Sun, SECD 4780-800$15.00 per year in Utah and $18.00 in Utah and $21 .00 per year out of the state of Utah by the Salina Sun, 63 East Main, Salina Utah 84654. Second class postage is paid at Salina, Utah 84654. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to the Salina Sun, 64 East Main, Salina, Utah 84654. Single Copy $.50 Publisher: Kevin Ashby Editor: Carol Jensen USPS 529-783- 4780-800- 0 0 Correspondents: Aurora: Cindy Andreason - Redmond: Tammy Johnson - Salina: Evelyn Kiesel Up Slightly from the same time last year Total County Utahs Central District includes employment "Total gross taxable sales revenue in Sevier County increased by $2.1 million over one year ago,' to total $26 million. By eliminating use taxes and refunds and adjustments and evaluating sales based on current economic activity only, sales for the quarter equaled $24.3 million, an increase of $1.9 million. Sales were up in mining, manufacturing, building and garden suDDlies. retail motor vehicle sales, and auto repair services. Sales revenues dropped in wholesale durable goods and food stores. Economic sales in Richfield were up nearly $900,000 with gains observed in wholesale durable goods and retail motor vehicle sales. Events which made economic difference in Sevier County include: In October, the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board approved $7 million dollars in loans within Sevier County to fund three major projects: -- Richfield and the Sevier Valley Technology Center received a $2.2 million grant to expand classrooms at the school and develop a community center and library. The Sevier County Municipal Building Authority was given a $3.8 million grant and loan package to construct a jail and courts complex. Salina City was given a $500,000 grant and a $500,000 loan to build a civicequestrian center. The One Million Southwest Project is nearing completion. Major items in the project include two miles of new road, an access road from Richfields Rotary Park to the new road, and the rebuilding of access roads to the park. Improvements within the park include four new ball parks, fencing and lighting, dugouts, a concession stand, and sprinkling system. There is also a new parking lot next to Sevier Valley Applied Technology Center. A new 300 foot garden center and nursery is being built east of Richfield by Richfield Nursery. McDonalds has remodeled and expanded its seating capacity and enclosed its childs play area. Five miles of 27 inch irrigation pipe is being laid in the Monroe area to deliver water to farmers in this area. Rogers Thriftway Grocery store opened for business. About 60 full-an- d part time workers are employed. Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne counties. Following are highlights from its third quarter 1992 report from the Utah Department of Employment Security (Job Service). The Central Districts unemployment rate rose slightly, up from last years third quarter rate of 7.6 to the current Total nonfarm employment increased slightly. The 20 position increase places total employment at 16,227. The loss of nearly 500 construction jobs was a major dark spot on the Central Districts economic outlook. Almost all of this decline occurred in Millard County. Many other sectors experienced strong economic growth, enough to counter the large employment decline in construction. State and local government, services and retail trade all recorded significant employment gains. The value of d building construction took a sharp jump upward with over $7 million in new authorizations. This is a 150 increase over last year at this time, and puts this quarters total at $12.3 million. Tourist lodging revenues were up by $700,000 for a total of $3.2 million for the quarter. Highlights from Sevier County: Total nonfarm employment continues with noticeable increases. There were 116 more jobs recorded this quarter than last year at this time. Total employment for the quarter was 5,236. Local and state government along with retail tradeprovided this employment growth. Together these three sectors added nearly 130 new jobs to the economy. Local government added 70 new positions. State government added jobs in vocational schools; Retail trade added over 30 new jobs in eating establishments, variety stores, and service stations. "Manufacturing was another positive area in Sevier County, particularly nondurable goods manufacturing which added 13 new positions. Wholesale trade was the final bright spot with 20 new positions in plumbing supplies. The only negative was T.C.U. which dropped 25 positions. Total permit authorized construction valuation dropped slightly with $7,000 less in valuations than one year ago. The value of new residential permits more than doubled, but this was countered by a drop in Sanpete County experienced the following for the same time pethe value of nonresidential permits. riod: Nine new houses were authorized, Total nonfarm employment four were in Richfield, three in incontinues showing year-ovAnnabella, and one mobile home in 174 this with more creases Elsinore and Richfield. jobs quarter te 7.8. permit-authorize- er than last year at this time. This places total employment at 4,540. The three main areas of employment growth were service, with 95 positions added; state government, which increased jobs in junior colleges and correctional institutions; is 5,236 and trade. There was trade in wholesale trade. Wholesale trade retail and recorded a 12 position increase in farm and garden machinery, while retail trade added 30 positions in grocery stores and souvenir shops. Your Wafer Heater HEADQUARTERS 40 Gallon $149 Energy Efficient Gas Water Heater Other Sizes and Models Available 435 South Main - Gunnison - 528-751- 3 |